Resonating stethoscope or intensifier.



J. J. SINGER.

RESONATING STETHOSCOPE 0R INTENSIFIEB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6. 1914- Patented June 22, 1915.

UNlTED STATES PATENT ornion recon J. sinenn, or sr; LOUIS, mssounr.

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l'dall whom it may concern QBe'it known that .1, Jason J. SINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at .St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Resonating Stethoscopes or Intensifiers, of which the .gfqllowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the me:

This invention relates ,to devices for intensifyingthe audibility of sounds,- and particularlyto Stethoscopes, although I do not wish .it to be understood that my invention.

mittingthe sound waves to the ear-pieces oi -the instrument. One objectionable feature of such instruments is that the diaphragms of same cannot- .be sterilized, and

they are so fragile that they;break easily;

And another objectionable sfeature ,is that confusing friction sounds occur in same, due to the 'direct engagement of the diaphragm with theskin of the patient. Furthermore,

suchinstr-uments are costly, and, on account of thepeculiar construction of same, it is necessary for a physician to own several complete instruments of diflerent sizes, each of which is usually stored in a separate case.

'Eh'e main object of my invention is to provide a sound intensifier that is more eilicient than those heretofore in use, that comprises no delicate or fragile parts, and which isso designed-that it can be sterilized.

Another object is to provide a stetho scope which. is sodesigned that peculiar friction sounds will not be produced'in same on account of harshness of the pa-- tients skin or hair on the skin.

Another object is to provide a device that will'intensify sound without changing the character of the sound.

Another object is to provide an instrument for. the-purpose described, which is so constructed and designed that no parts of same tend to impede or dampen the sound waves emanating from a given source; And

.- still another object is to provide a simple and inexpensive instrument of the character Specification of Letters Patent.

tachably connected to the resonator.

which coiiperates with the resonator of greatest diameter to form a housing or protecting shell for the other resonators that are nested inside of same. 4

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of my complete instrument; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the large resonator mounted in operative position on the combined handle and connecting .member; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cover member; and- Figs. 6 and 7 are perspe'ctive views of the smaller resonators.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the large resonator of my improvedinstrument which I will term a resonating stethoscope or intensifier, and B designates a device or member that carries the resonator and to which the ear-pieces C of the instrument are connected, said device Bl preferably-consisting of a hollow Y- shaped member whose main shank 1 is 1d;-

e resonator A- is a substantially cup-shaped member that is formed from thin sheet metal or some other; suitable material that has a vcertain degree of resonance so that it will vibrate or resonate with the sounds set up inside of said member. When the lower Patented June 22, 1915'. Application filed January 6, 1914. Serial No. 810,672.

edge a: of the member A is placed in contact 4 with the patients body, for example, the patients chest, the air that is trapped 'inside of said member A is set in vibration by r the vibration waves of the chest wall. These vibrations in the air are taken up in unison by the member A itself, which is formed from resonating material, and, consequently, the sound waves are intensified and transmittedthrough the hollow connecting device B and thence to the ear drums of the cap'member D is removedfand the resonator user through the ear pieces C of the instrument. I prefer to provide the resonator with a substantially flat top wall 2 and with a Substantially ring-shaped side wall 3, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to give a reflecting surface of great area, but it will, of course be understood that the resonator could be' shaped in various other ways without de' parting from the spirit of my invention. v

is preferably curved,- as shown in Fig. 3, so as to form a vhandle whichthe user can grasp without having to touch the patlents body, without liability of touching the resonator, and thus neither interrupting the vibrations set u in the resonator by the sound-waves insi e of same, northose of the.

patients body, it being, of course, understood that the top wall 2 of the resonator is provided with an opening 2 that-communicates withthe opening 1 in the shank of-the device B. I prefer. to connect the resonator ,to the member B in such a manner that it can be disconnectedvfrom same easily, thereby 'enabling the same connecting member Bto be used with different resonators. One convenient way of connecting these members together is to provide the shank 1 ofthe connecting member with a screw-threaded portion 1 that is screwed into the opening 2 in the top wall of the resonator.

The-complete instrument comprises a plurality of resonators A, A and A of dif ferent sizes, and when the instrument is not in use the resonators A and A are nested inside of the resonator A, as shown in Fig.

3. A cap memberl) is provided .for holding the resonators A and 2 tion in the resonator A and protecting-them from dirt. .The cap member D herein shown consistsof 'a disk that is provided with a plurality of spring fingers 4 that lap over the flange or side wall 3 ofthe large resonator A, as shown in Fig: 3, and thus hold the cap member 'inposition, said cap member ,cooperatingwith the resonator A to form a shell or casing for the small-resonators A and A that are arranged inside of same.

Said cap member is also preferably provided with a stud or guide 5 that projects through the center openings in the resonators A and A and'thus acts to hold said resonators in position in the inclosing shell and preventthem from rattling or moving around.

When the instrument is to be 'tlie ofthe proper size is then secured to the connecting member B to which the ear-pieces in operative posithe interior of said member bein side wall of the resonator comes in contact with the p'atients bod It intensifies sound without changing t e character of the sound, and no portions of 'the instrument The shank 1 of the-connecting device B yielding material, such, for example, as cast metal or hard rubber, which would tend. to dampen the vibration set up inside of'the resonator. In my improved instrument the vibrations are conducted to the ear drums of the user without any resistance, except the air that is trapped inside-of the resonator, the resonator itself being formed of thin resonating material and havin an unobstructed interior and'an open en so that when the lower edge portion of the side wall of the resonator 1s placed in contact with the patients body nothing except the air 'inside of the resonator will be interposed between the patients body and the top wall" of the resonator. Consequently,

sounds can beheard through my instrument much clearer than is possible with stethosco es of the kind now in general use.

he instrument comprises a relatively great reflecting area, as t e top wall 2 of the resonator is preferably made substantially flat so that it'will act as a soundin board or resonating portion against which the sound waves strike, the side wall 3 of the resonator. acting to confine a bod of air under said sounding board and old the sounding board out of direct contact'with the object being examined. Furthermore, my improved instrument, overcomes the nee cessity of a physician ownin a number of .comp ete stethoscopes of owin to the fact that it comprises a plurality o resonators of difierent. sizes thatcan be stored more, compactly than one stethoflerent sizes,

scope of the kind now 'in' general use; and 1 the instrumentcan be manufactured and sold at a low cost-on account of the simplicity of construction of same.

. Having thus described my invention, what.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p

A sound intensifier comprising a substantially cup-shaped member formed from resonating material and having a, substantially flat wall from which a flange depend}? g uno structedso that when the lower edge of said flange is pressed against the object bein examined the column of air that s trappe inside of said member be set in vibrasignature in the presence of two witnesses, tion by the vibration waves emanating from th1s thirty-first day of December 1913. said object, said-vibrations being taken up. w

in unison by said cup-shaped member and JACOB SINGER 5- thus causing the sound waves from said ob- -Witnesses:

ject to greatly intensified, WELLS L. CHURCH,

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

